5 Foods You Should Grow in Your Own Backyard

Wait, fruit trees? Maybe you've heard they're expensive, take forever to grow and die if you even look at them funny. Furthermore, you don't have enough space in your backyard for an orchard.

While it's true that apple trees require a little bit of work, backyard growers are in luck. Apple trees come in many varieties, and there are plenty of hardy types that can be grafted to dwarf root stock. If you want, you can even get apple trees that won't grow higher than 6 feet [source: Hanson]. Saplings can be ready to produce fruit in as little as two years, and they'll continue bearing fruit for decades.

The benefits of growing your own apples are also great. You won't have to worry about pesticides or buying out-of-season, carbon footprint-heavy produce. And one apple tree produces plenty of apples for a single family -- too many, even. Extra apples are perfect for pies, preserves, applesauce and cider.